Traditions

THE VILLAGE

The traditions of one society reflect its culture and its economic and political context. When these parameters change, the traditions change too. Some traditions survived until the nowdays, others disappeared or they survive in different way. Here is a list of main traditions of Treglia:

• The killing of the pig between December and February. This tradition was very much alive until the end of the 90s, while today it has almost completely disappeared. So, in the past several reared the pig; by pork they get delicious sausages, bacon and raw ham.
  
  
• Christmas sweets. At Christmas we prepare the "zeppole", a kind of little fried ring-shaped buns, and the "struffoli" that are fried little balls made with sweet dough and honey.
  
  
• Easter sweets. In the Easter time we prepare the "pigna crisciut'e", that is a sweet of leavened sponge cake. The corn or rice “pastiera” is delicious too. The “pastiera” is a type of Neapolitan tart made with a sweet filling of cottage cheese.
  
  
• John the Baptist's Day. On 24 June we prepare the "nocillo", a walnut-liqueur. Another custom is placying the albumen of the egg into a glass half filled up with the water and leaving it outside the window during the night of John the Baptist' Day. In the next morning, the albumen takes some shape. We interpret this shape; for example, the shape of the ship might mean a journey or a transfer.
  
  
• Saint Anne's votive candle. On 26 July, in the evening, each family lights a votive candle which is placed outside the windows. This custom, in all probability, goes back to the 26 July 1805, when Treglia and its bordering territories were struck by an earthquake. We can explain this gesture as thanks to Saint Anne because during the earthquake only one person died. This person was a woman from Piana di Monte Verna.
  
  
• The distribution of the "spase". When two youngs marrie, the next day the parents of the husband and the bride hand out a wrapping of homemade sweets to the guests and the neighbours. The "spasa" is composed by the "guanti", "morzelletti" (soft rolls) and biscuits, all garnished by the sugarcoated almonds or ”confetti” almonds.
  
  
• The watch at cemetary in the night between the 1 and 2 November. In this night groups of persons watch at cemetary and they say the rosary to the dead.
  
  
• The rosary to the dead person When a person dies, at his home and in the evenening that follows his funeral, we start a cycle of eight rosaries. These rosaries are recited for eight consecutive evenings by his relatives, friends and neighbours. At the end of the cycle, they receive the pasta as present. This present simply symbolizes a charity which merits turn in favour of the dead person.
  
  

Here is a list of lost traditions:

• Riuno 'o truone. On Saint Martin’s Day (on 11 November) several fasted. This custom was called "rjune o' truone", that is the fast to the thunder. The folk tradition relates in this day a thunder fell into a pot, while a housewife was cooking the beans. Therefore, this fast served to beseech the heavy thunderstorms.
  
  
• A' unghiatell'. On 31 December, in the evening some groups of boys wandered through the streets and the alleys of the village, shouting "A' unghiatell'!, A' unghiatell'!!". Some people could invite them and offer them some presents, usually Christmas sweets or dried fruit.
  
  
• The serenade of the second wedding. When we marry for the second time, the friends of the husband and the bride played them a serenade by using the kitchen utensils like instrument.
  
  
• The first coming out after the marriage. After the marriage the husband and the bride didn't go out during the first week. On next Sunday they go out first and they were accompanied to Mass by their witnesses. After the Mass, the husband and the bride offer to their witnesses the lunch in grand style. This custom was lost in the fifties, when the honeymoon started to spread.
  
  
• The "Pasqua rosata". This event was 60 days after the Easter. During the night we adorned with flowers in front of the door of the girl-friend or loved girl. If the daring young was repelled then he didn't adorne with flowers but with forage! Moreover some people could add to flowers undesired things to provoke a row between the girl and the young.
  
  
• The carriage of the blessed palms on the Mount S. Erasmo. Until in the seventies, on Palm Sunday happened the following competition: during the Mass, after the benediction the people present ran to lodge a bunch of palms on the slope that hangs over the ancient windmill, on the Mount S. Erasmo. The first person who arrived was entitled to fasten the bunch of palms to the cross that is on the same slope. Lodging the bunch of the palms meant to hope a year of peace. Moreover, the blessed palm was lodged by the countrymen in the corn-fields, as benediction's sign.
  
  
• The Mass on 1 May at ancient windmill. Until in the seventies, on 1 May we celebrate the Mass at chapel (ex ancient windmill) on the Mount S. Erasmo.